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Whole30 Number Two - Feeling Good


Emma

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Our family, including our two and three year old, completed a Whole30 in April. In May, we continued forth without any changes (aside from a couple of beers) until we traveled. We knew that we were going to try to stay as whole as we could for many parts of the trip, but for the time at the music festival - we knew we were going to stray - and that would be okay!

Well, we did stray and it was wonderful! We ate Thai food and Ethiopian food and Kettle Corn and LaraBars. Okay - Lara Bars aren't really straying, but they still felt a bit extravagant. The thing was that while we were straying, we weren't straying as badly as we would have in the past.

We ate good vegetable egg filled breakfasts. The kids snacked on bananas and almonds and apples. We didn't frequent fast food. We just ate a lot of grains and foods with sugars.

I also noticed it!!! Every time I ate, I'd feel full and bloated and sometimes even sore on my stomach. I'd also experience the desire to keep eating later which I suspect is a desire to try to fix the uncomfortable feelings by eating more (doesn't quite work, but I've been testing it for years).

I also noticed interesting things in my kids.

One night after a delicious stuffing of ourselves with a vegetarian combo of Ethiopian food with injira, my boy woke up numerous times throughout the night. My own stomach was upset, but my boy's reaction also included a very asthmatic sounding cough that necessitated breaking out the inhaler.

Another night after stuffing ourselves delightfully with fries and Reubens, my daughter groaned and moaned in her sleep and ended up snuggled in my arms tossing and turning. It was very sweet sleeping next to her, but a shame it was because she felt so uncomfortable.

My husband said he felt foggy. I suppose I do too, but mainly just tired and a bit worn down. We all started fighting colds and my little girl got hit hard. I know we were exposed to many people and viruses during our travels, but I really think we taxed our immune systems with our decadent ways.

So now back home, we're back to eating like dinosaurs as my kids call it. It feels good. I did eat some chocolate yesterday and today I snacked on almonds mid morning, but other than that, we are mentally and physically preparing to enter the month of June with a solid Whole30.

I also plan to stop taking allergy pills and to stop taking the anti-inflammatories I've been taking for my knee. The ibuprofen, I am okay with stopping because I'm curious to find the cause of my knee issues and just reducing inflammation isn't curing it. The allergy pills scare me to stop. I depend on them to not react to things. I depend on them to keep my system from overreacting when I catch a minor cold. I just plain depend on them. I almost want to chicken out, but I'm not going to. I'm going to try to give my body as clean and nutritious playing field as I can. If I do break out with horrible allergies, well then, I can reassess.

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Ahhh - two kids sick with respiratory viruses. This is so not the time for me to stop allergy meds and tomorrow is the day I'd planned to do so. The viruses the kids have are pretty intense too. Dang it!

Meal One - Sweet potato hash with two eggs

Meal Two - Cilantro pesto with spaghetti squash and....not sure yet

Meal Three - Zoodles with grass fed ground beef and tomato sauce

Yesterday:

Meal One - Basil pesto with spaghetti squash and scrambled eggs

Meal Two - Salmon salad with apple slices and carrot/ginger soup

Meal Three - Steak with stir fry veggies cooked with coconut aminos

Somewhere in the midst of the afternoon - a bunch of almonds

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Oh My - Tomorrow is the big day. I'm not mentally ready. I don't yet have my goals. Well, I have my goals, but I have too many of them! I also had this crazy notion that I'd stop taking anti-inflammatory meds. Ugh! My brain is telling me that if I take them, then maybe I can figure out the cause of the knee pain by trying different things. I'm not sure that will work. I've been taking them for two months and haven't solved anything. Maybe my body needs a chance to truly heal its gut? But what if........ I just took some meds telling myself it's okay because it's not yet tomorrow. I do think I'll give it a go and not take any and see what happens.

As for allergy meds? I was going to stop those too, but that one seems scarier. Why do I want to stop taking them when they obviously help me? Does taking them hurt my gut and prevent healing? Do I still need them or are they just a crutch? (I probably need them. I'm not one to pass by a cold without embracing it with vigor - asthma and all jumping on the bandwagon)

Sigh. I'm so not ready.

AND, I've recently been realizing that I too am doing a touch too much snacking on almonds. It's just that they're so good and deliciously crunchy. I also found myself spooning up a dolup of coconut cream and mixing it with cocoa tonight. Um? What was that about?! Living on the edge before I focus in tomorrow? Let's hope it was my rebel nature and not some new trick I've learned to cheat while not cheating.

So tonight I go to bed with the hope I will sleep well and wake up with clarity and focus regarding this next month.

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Saturday:

 

Day ONE!

No goals established.

Weight 147

 

Pumpkin zucchini fritters with the family for breakfast

Leftover salmon salad, spaghetti squash with pesto, carrot soup

Pork with a pesto marinade, grilled vegetables (peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini)

Gelatin

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Day Two - Still no goals established other than vague want to be healthy and have a fantastic productive month kind of goals

 

The weekend was fantastic weather.  We haven't had fantastic weather in this neck of the woods in ages so it was a true treat to be outside, even if the dust was blowing ever which way.  We took the kids out in the hills, built a picnic table and spent time getting dirty and tired.  It was nice.  

 

It was also very difficult to not have a beer.  I really wanted one.  I also really wanted to go out and eat.  And I really wanted to just push back all this whole30 stuff a couple more days in order to enjoy the good weather properly (with hot dogs and bratwurst and things of that nature).  But I reminded myself that I was stopping the meds to try to get my knee in shape and that I was committed to June.  Bleh!  

 

I did make it through the last two days, but I had a couple things that might not be compliant.  I'm gonna need to check:

1.  I made gelatin using equal parts orange juice and water.  Is juice on the no list?  I'm going to have to check.  I want to make gelatin part of my everyday life and I admit I liked having it this way.

2.  When I was just wanting something mid day, I sat down and ate several large spoonfuls of coconut cream.  Yes, the cream.  In my head, I was recalling someone who said they had a spoonful of coconut oil to get them through the afternoon.  Cream is so much tastier.  :)  I imagine this was probably not one of my best moves.

 

Other than those two possible transgressions, I think we're on track.  We're cooking up meals fairly easily, but I know we soon need to branch out or we will be tired of our current mainstays.  I placed a paleo book in my amazon shopping cart, but it's so hard to know which books one will like without really getting to flip through them in person.

 

Meals Today:

Breakfast on the trail with the kids: jerky, almonds, turkish apricots

Lunch: pork chops with pesto, salmon salad, sweet potatoes n' vegetables all cooked together in coconut oil

Dinner: zucchini green curry with mushrooms, chicken with some unnamed mixed spice in our cabinet and pineapple, carrot soup, greens with balsamic vinegar

 

(transgression number three?  i bet our grass fed nitrate free jerky had some sweetener in it)

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Day Three!!!  It begins with a terrible night of sleep due to two sick coughing children.  Ah well.  It also begins with rain.  What a relief!!!  Instead of going out, we are going to stay home and after this coffee, I hope the staying home will result in loads of things getting done.  :)

 

My goals for this month:

1.  Stick to Whole30 to see if it gives my knee a chance to heal

      a.  No anti-inflammatory meds

      b.  Try out asparagus next week to see if a purine rich diet triggers inflammation (though now I doubt it)

      c.  No exercise that might trigger my knee

2.  Exercise every day using Fitocracy to guide my way

      a.  Minimal exercise is a-okay

      b.  Focus on my core or arms

3.  Get house decluttered

4.  Eight to nine hours of sleep

5.  Something to work on renewing (meditating?)  yes, yes, yes - it's not a very SMART goal is it?!  :)

 

Breakfast today:  Sweet potato/yam hash with scrambled eggs

Lunch: No idea yet

Dinner:  No idea yet

(but we do have some good vegetables and squashes on our counter so I'm not super worried about figuring something out)

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I also noticed it!!! Every time I ate, I'd feel full and bloated and sometimes even sore on my stomach. I'd also experience the desire to keep eating later which I suspect is a desire to try to fix the uncomfortable feelings by eating more (doesn't quite work, but I've been testing it for years).

 

Welcome back!  I have been testing the theory that eating more will fix an uncomfortable belly, too.   <_<   While I'm sorry your family wasn't feeling the best, it is great that you were able to all notice the effects of eating SAD and maybe the kids will be more willing to keep "eating like dinosaurs"?

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Well Fed is a GREAT resource for some really wonderful recipes, if you are still looking...

Thanks for the suggestion!  We have Well Fed and Practical Paleo.  Both have been a really good match for our family and style.  The Rogan Josh from Well Fed is amazing and probably one of our favorite meals.  Learning how to cook squash and make spaghetti squash with pesto came from Practical Paleo and those foods have become an important part of our home.

 

I keep hearing about the chocolate chili (Isn't that in Well Fed?) but haven't made it yet.  Perhaps this week.  We do need to branch out and try some new things.

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Just looked those up - We're on it!  I'm writing up a meal plan for this week and I'll plan for chocolate chili tomorrow and meatza a couple days later.  I suppose it's one of my unofficial goals to try new recipes this month.  Thanks for getting me going on it.

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Lagggging today!  So tired.  Could be I didn't have a second cup of coffee.  Could be that my breakfast was not as substantial.  Could just be a bigger reaction to Day Four than I expected.  Or, it could be sick kids in the middle of the night and I'm feeling the impact of waking up many times.  Regardless - not fun!

 

Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs with cilantro pesto

Lunch: Spoonfuls of coconut cream followed by spaghetti squash phad thai with chicken 

Dinner: Chocolate chili with zucchini and mushrooms

 

Notice that spoonful of coconut cream at lunch?  Yeah, I was SO sluggy that I dipped into that to get me prepared to make lunch.  Could be an excuse.  Is it bad to do that?  Is it non Whole30?

 

Our spaghetti squash phad tahi was a first and it was excellent.  I'm thrilled to have discovered another dish to make and once we make this one a few more times, it will be easier and less time consuming.

 

My kids are still sick with asthma sounding coughs.  I'm SO glad we are eating this way.  I know it helps my system and I really want my children to have a better chance at good health given their unfortunate acquisition of my immune system. 

 

No anti-inflammatory meds for me this month.  My knee is still sore, but I'm not doing anything to tax it or aggravate it.  It's such a weird injury and will hurt minimally and then all of a sudden hurt a whole lot.  The worst pain is usually behind me knee or upper calf, but sometimes the inside of my knee and sometimes the top of my kneecap.  My left foot, which has some kind of chronic tendonitis or something, has been hurting normally, but sometimes is also at the same time as my knee.  I'm beginning to wonder if there is a relationship between the two injuries. 

 

Now to read some posts from others, brew some coffee, and hopefully get some things done today - including some opportunities for renewal.

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Stuffed!  Just had a fantastically productive morning and a big breakfast.  I woke up BEFORE the kids, came downstairs, and worked on bills.  Doesn't sound very exciting, but my favorite time of day to get things done is right when I get up.  Having kids has changed that.  Partly because I can't wake up as early if I'm up throughout the night with the kids, but mainly because when we wake up together, we spend our first 45 minutes of the day cuddling on the sofa.  It's something I don't ever wish to change, but it does throw a wrench in the amount of things I get accomplished. 

 

I always have big plans to get things done while the kids nap, but I'm really only good energy-wise for picking up.  Doing the thinking stuff required for work or the un-fun thing like bills just doesn't happen for me in the afternoon.   Hopefully a few more weeks of eating well will help my energy productivity levels in the afternoon.

 

Breakfast:  Sweet potatoes cooked in coconut oil, two eggs

Lunch:  Eeek?  Um.   Maybe we'll have carrots, tomatos, hard boiled eggs and whatever other random things I can find in our house.  Thank goodness for fairly easy going kids who know no different.

Dinner:  Chocolate chili with mushrooms and zucchini (this was supposed to be yesterday, but I ran out of time so we had some overcooked chicken, zoodles with pesto, and cumin roasted carrots)

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Selene,  It's been fun process with the kids and crucial for me.  If our house had any non-compliant stuff, I'm sure I'd have caved.  I was pretty blown away by how quickly the kids took to things, but of course, there was nothing else in the house to eat so they didn't really have a chance.  We also talked about the dinosaurs and that really seemed to work for them.  Now we talk about how foods make us feel.  My little girl is a total carb monster and used to eat pancakes till she was completely bloated.  She has no off switch when it comes to breads, sugars and pastas.  Her first couple weeks on Whole30 were a bit of a nightmare because she felt lousy, but it was so worth it because now she eats appropriate amounts and appropriate amounts of healthy things.  When we traveled recently and ate regular foods (non Whole30), our kids all of a sudden became picky eaters again - eating only the fries and the buns and leaving the other things that could have a modicum of nutrients in it.  I was a bit surprised how quickly we all reverted to our old ways.

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I dreamed of grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  They were SO good.  And then I had other things and more other things.  I can't recall what, but I knew in the dream that I was completely off track.  Glad it was just a dream!

 

I also slept almost all night with no interruptions. It was wonderful.  The kids have both gotten to the other side of a nasty virus.  They were pretty sick, but now doing much better.  I really do think the shorter illness time is due to the foods we're eating.

 

Yesterday for lunch we had chicken thighs, carrots and dates.  It didn't seem like the most balanced of meals and I ate primarily chicken thighs, but I tell ya, my energy throughout the afternoon was GREAT!  I got so much done and continued to get things done till evening.  I didn't always want to be working on getting things done and I did have the pressure of actually needing things to be done, but I did wonder if what I ate played a contributing factor.  It sure was nice to feel energetic in the afternoon instead of slogging.

 

I also meditated for three minutes and then another three minutes when that first three minutes finished much more quickly than I'd expected.  I'm keeping it short and sweet, but might stretch it a bit more today.  My brain never actually stilled.  I tried to concentrate on my breath, but those thoughts were flying.  Nonetheless, it felt good.  Afterwards I did some sits up and that felt good too.  It's been the most I've done in a while.  And then, to top it off, I de-cluttered things in the home and that always feels good.

 

Today:

Breakfast: Baked sweet potatoes with scrambled eggs cooked in coconut oil

Lunch: Chicken thighs, spaghetti squash with leftover chocolate chili, mushrooms and zucchini

Dinner: Bora Bora Fireballs perhaps, butternut squash with pineapple

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Meditated today for 10 minutes - it's not a lot, but I think it still counts and I'm rather enjoying it.  I still do a lousy job of stilling my thoughts or focusing on my breath, but I imagine I'll get better in time.

 

Tonight we have some friend's coming to dinner.  One is a vegetarian.  The other is not.  I'm prepping the food right now and looking forward to dinner.  Wish we had wine though!

 

Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs, leftover sweet potatoes, bora bora fireballs

Lunch: Chicken thighs, sauteed spinach

Dinner: Salmon, spaghetti squash with pesto, butternut squash with pineapple, carrot/ginger soup  (it's rather a lot of food, but the leftovers will be nice to have for the weekend)

 

This weekend is the community triathlon that I did last year.  It was my first ever and I loved it. I was planning on doing it this year till I was derailed by my knee.  The good thing is discovering how much I miss the running and training.  In a couple more weeks, I'll head to my doctor again to assess what's going on.

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Meditated today for 10 minutes - it's not a lot, but I think it still counts and I'm rather enjoying it.  I still do a lousy job of stilling my thoughts or focusing on my breath, but I imagine I'll get better in time.

 

This weekend is the community triathlon that I did last year.  It was my first ever and I loved it. I was planning on doing it this year till I was derailed by my knee.  The good thing is discovering how much I miss the running and training.  In a couple more weeks, I'll head to my doctor again to assess what's going on.

 

I'm studying meditation right now and my instructors (and Sakyong Mipham, who is the lineage teacher for Shambala Buddhism) say it is much better to meditate everyday for ten minutes than to do it sporadically for hours at a time. You are doing the right thing! I'm meditating ten minutes every day, too.

 

I'm also waiting for results of an MRI that  I'll have next week. Until then, my exercise is pretty limited as well. Frustrating. Hang in there.

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I'm studying meditation right now and my instructors (and Sakyong Mipham, who is the lineage teacher for Shambala Buddhism) say it is much better to meditate everyday for ten minutes than to do it sporadically for hours at a time. You are doing the right thing! I'm meditating ten minutes every day, too.

 

I'm also waiting for results of an MRI that  I'll have next week. Until then, my exercise is pretty limited as well. Frustrating. Hang in there.

 

I want to say, "Tell me everything you are learning!" but I realize that's a bit ridiculous.  I know so little and could Google of course, but what I don't need is yet another thing to distract me from focusing on the stuff I've already committed to.  Good to know that ten minutes a day counts.  I couldn't even fathom doing something for hours at a time.

 

Hope your results come back with something conclusive.  Answers are always so much easier to work with.

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Turning the Mind Into an Ally by Sakyong Mipham is a super readable book that imparts of lot of technique in a really accessible manner. I think Pema Chodron also recently published a book called How to Meditate that gives a lot of guidance. Haven't read it, but took a quick look in Costco (of all places) and it looks great.

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Turning the Mind Into an Ally by Sakyong Mipham is a super readable book that imparts of lot of technique in a really accessible manner. I think Pema Chodron also recently published a book called How to Meditate that gives a lot of guidance. Haven't read it, but took a quick look in Costco (of all places) and it looks great.

Thanks Selene!  I put both in my Amazon shopping cart.  I haven't committed to yet another purchase, but I probably will.  I've also thrown in some digestive enzymes and that seems to warrant the overall purchase and super saver shipping.  I read through the sample portions and both books looked good - one of them particularly seemed like something my husband might like as well.

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Well, today I almost caved.  I didn't.  I almost caved for this upcoming weekend as well.  It's our anniversary and my husband suggested we go out and the idea sounded so nice.  But we worked through it and agreed to stick to the Whole30 for June like we'd planned.  I think the fact that I want to cave is a sign that I could probably use some more time in this process.  I'm a bit surprised at how much I have to reset after just a week or so of more old style eating.

 

I've also not been very good about following the template or no snacking thing - mainly the no snacking thing.  Today I munched on almonds and some dried fish strips and some coconut cream.  Other days, I've popped some dried apricots in my mouth.  Everything I've eaten has been compliant, but I don't think I'm helping myself any with my snacking.

 

I was also super crazy tired this afternoon - just EH!

 

I ate a bunch of asparagus last night to see if it would trigger some gout like reaction in my knee.  I salted it and put on ghee and garlic and it was all quite delicious.  Today, my knee really was feeling a bit swollen and my foot has been hurting.  It could be a total coincidence.  Certainly the amount of pain and swelling is not what one would ever define as gout.  I have pondered that perhaps I ate too much salt or just don't process the asparagus well or too much fiber, or ah heck - I don't know!  :)  Regardless, today's energy has been pathetic and I look forward to a fresh start tomorrow.

 

Meals today:

A couple bites of chicken  (hmmm - is this really all I had?)  I must have supplemented with almonds.

Coffee

 

Lunch:

Chicken

Carrots

Something else, but I can't remember!

 

Snack:

Hard boiled egg

Dried fish

Almonds

Coconut cream spoonfuls

 

 

Dinner:

Red cabbage

Baby shrimp

Onions and portabello mushrooms

Butternut squash with some coconut oil and pineapple

 

Well, gosh - looking at my overall eating day, I didn't start off so well.  It's a wonder I had such good energy in the morning!!

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Trying trying trying to have a better day today.  Went to bed early.  Only got up three times throughout the night (kids and too much later water drinking for me).  Had an appropriate breakfast and lunch.  Got some work done that was stressing me out a bit.  Now planning to do my ten or fifteen minutes of meditation.  And then....ugh...so many things I WANT to do and I seem to fall apart in the afternoon, but I'm hopeful and semi-determined to make today better than yesterday.

 

Breakfast - Sweet potatoes and eggs

Snacked on almonds that were conveniently sitting in my pocket

Lunch - Chicken, carrots, and spaghetti squash with coconut oil

Dinner - Grass fed steak, spaghetti squash, and some more produce that must be lurking in our fridge

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Yesterday was better than the day before and I got things done, but I was grumpy and down.  In the evening we went for a walk with the kids outside of our fogged in town and that was good, but still felt bleh.  In bed, I read all about adrenal fatigue and considered the possibilities.  But this morning, I woke up and felt okay.  I didn't have my first cup of coffee till after breakfast was made and I never had a second morning cup.  I did have two cups in the afternoon instead of one, but I was trying to get prepped for my class tonight and the extra focus was nice.

 

And today - no snacking!!!  It's like today I just felt better - not great, but okayish.  It's nice.  I can't remember the days that people feel the hangover, the kill-everything, the lethargy, etc, but I wonder if today was just part of being 12 days into the process.

 

If it is, it's a nice place to be.  It also mildly concerns me that it takes 12 days to get to this point after SADing it for just a week or so.  Means I'll need to be aware of how much SAD seeps into my life and how quickly it grabs hold.

 

Breakfast:

White sweet potatoes with two eggs

 

Lunch:

Salmon salad with english cucumbers and carrots

 

Dinner:

Chicken thighs with spinach and mushrooms

Nori

 

My kids are always asking for snacks - particularly after naps.  Today, I made sure to make it a mini meal instead of just the normal banana or almonds.  I think I'm going to boil some eggs and devil them for snacks and serve that with nori, nuts, dried apricots, or carrots.  My kids are really doing quite well - given enough mustard - so I just need to stay one step ahead with novelty.

 

I did notice today that I feel big in my stomach.  I was showering and I looked down and thought I was really sporting quite the belly and upper abdomen.  I wondered if I was bloated.  I wondered if perhaps I had shed so much weight everywhere else that my stomach just looked bigger in comparison.  I don't think it was that.  I do think I am probably bloated.  I'm certainly never hungry and quite full of food.

 

I eat plenty and eat to make sure I don't fall prey to cravings.  I think I eat so much though that I'm never actually super ready for the next meal.  I'm going to have to pay attention to that I think.

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Well, the last couple days have been good.  I woke up yesterday feeling quite fine at six am with only 8 hours of sleep.  It was nice.  I made breakfast and then had coffee.  My energy was pretty good all day - all day the past couple days.  I did drink coffee and I did have my low spots, but overall, this is where the change happens.  Next time I do this Whole30 thing, which I'm sure will be a fairly constant theme in my life, please remind me not to despair at days nine and ten and eleven when I just want to go out and have a burger and beer.  Those crazy cravings pass.  I do plan to have a beer in July, but I don't feel like I'm going to break down and give in like I was last week.

 

As for my knee, it's not as bad as I'd expect. I'm still not exercising and it's still a bit buggy, but overall I'm not noticing it.  I stubbed my toes in the middle of the night and that caused a lot of knee pain and tightness in the back, but only for a day or so.  That seems like an improvement in itself.

 

Now onto the day - back to my family - and back to the constant question, "What for dinner?!"

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